Nortel breach exposes improper password management, report says
Nortel, a large telecommunications vendor, was targeted by Chinese hackers during an eight-year period that featured in an extensive array of online security attacks. A recent Dark Reading report highlighted how this incident has made the need for password manager software even more prevalent.
During the nearly decade-long period of breaches, according to the report, Nortel rarely changed password credentials.
"The issue of not changing passwords on critical infrastructure is epidemic," Lieberman Software CEO Phil Lieberman told the news source. "This is happening in most corporations all over the world."
Lieberman also noted that companies with the same passwords for every account stand to lose all of their mission-critical files should a hacker obtain the credentials. This does not pertain only to credit card or other financial data, but it can include business plans and important research.
Other industry experts have highlighted the impact that weak passwords can have on a company. According to Security News Daily writer Sue Marquette Poremba, each account should have a unique password to avoid security breaches that can wipe out an entire business if the same phrase is used consistently.
